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Alan Whittle, 44, said the plate of chilli she cooked him ‘flew up in the air’ off his lap and smashed into her face, causing wounds in three places.

He walked free from court with a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to unlawful wounding. He showed no remorse for his actions.

But Judge David Evans said he had ‘some concerns’ about the decision of the CPS to accept the basis of plea submitted by Whittle.

He added: “How a plate thrown up into the air ends up wounding someone’s face in that way is difficult to understand in terms of the dynamics, but there you are.”

Prosecutor Rachel Drake said the offence happened on August 6 last year. The defendant had drink problems and although the relationship had been over for some time the victim occasionally offered him platonic support and would invite him round to her flat.

She said the pair had returned from a walk and the victim had tried to placate Whittle’s bad mood by serving him dinner.

“The next thing she recalls is a broken plate in her face,” said the prosecutor.

“She ran from the address bleeding significantly. It was clear there was blood pouring from her in the communal landing, the hallway of the flat, there was blood on the sofa and in the lounge, the remote control the curtains and the broken plate.”

Paramedics took a broken piece of plate from her face and she needed 30 stitches in total. She suffered a significant wound above her lip and above her eyebrow.

The court was read a statement by the victim in which she said the attack had left her fearful of leaving the house, even to empty the bins. When a cashier at the shop recoiled in horror at her wounds she felt self-conscious and is no longer comfortable dealing with members of the public at her work.

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She suffers from numbness to her mouth, has difficulty eating but is fearful of going to the dentist for treatment.

Paul Dentith, mitigating, said Whittle had suffered a difficult childhood and that made it difficult for him to accept his culpability.

“He accepts he caused these injuries and stands by his basis of plea. He accepts being reckless.”

He said he was putting his drink problems behind him.

Judge Evans said: “You and she were in the process of separating out your personal belongings after a relationship of five years. You were eating a homemade chilli at the flat and were in a bad mood after an argument and, alluding to your basis of plea, which for some reason has been accepted, she hit you over the head with a TV remote control and you threw the dinner plate up in the air in such a way that it broke and cut her face in three places.

“How a plate thrown up into the air ends up wounding someone’s face in that way is difficult to understand in terms of the dynamics, but there you are.”

He asked the prosecutor to rely his concerns about the case to the CPS.

He said the acceptance of the basis of plea his sentencing powers were limited.

“It can’t be said you used a plate as a weapon to inflict those injuries given that basis of plea," said Judge Evans.

"Sadly you show no remorse.”

Whittle, of Church Street, Paignton, has no previous convictions. He was given 12 months in jail suspended for two years and told to 100 hours unpaid, He must attend a Building Better Relationship programme. He was also ordered to pay the victim £750 in compensation.